Sound controlling means



April 12, 1932. w. H. CHASE SOUND CONTROLLING MEANS Filed Sept'. 18, 1929 Patented Apr.` l2, 1932 PATENT GFFICE WARREN H. CHASE, F CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO SOUND CONTROLLING MEANS Application led September 18, 1929. Serial No; 393,351.

This invention relates to the elimination of disturbing noises while a person is using a telephone or the like;

Frequently much annoyance is caused when b' a person desires to telephone by interfering noises caused by such instruments as the radio, phonograph, or the like, or by machinery, such as electric motors in shops or fans in offices, which prevents the person tele- 19 phoning from properly hearing the conversation issuing from .the receiver, and also disturbs the sounds received by the transmitter and reproduced at the other end of the line.

Quite generally, the noise making apparatus is situated at' a point not readily accessible to the telephone instrument, so that the person telephoning must either set the telephone down and go and turn off the dlsturbing mechanism, or be subjected to the annoy- 0 ance of trying to mentally eliminate the 1nterfering sounds. After the conversation has been completed, it is also necessary to turn on the device which has been shut ofl.

An object of the invention is to provide a means for automatically eliminatingdisturbing noises while the telephone is in use.

Other objects will hereinafter appear.

rIhe invention will be better understood from the description of one practical embodiment thereof, illustrated in the accompanying' drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment4 of the invention shown as controlling sounds which issue from a radio set;

Figure 2is a perspective view of a part of the controlling mechanism opened up to expose an inner control switch; and

Figure 3 is a central transverse section of the switch and its coverings.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown a telephone 1 of the usual desk or table type resting upon a support 2. Interposed between the telephone and its support is a pad-- like member 3 containing a switch mechanism to be hereinafter described, so that the switch therein is operated by the weight of the telephone, closing a circuit'when the instrument it set upon it and opening the circuit when the telephone isppicked up to be used. Two conductors 4 and 5 extend from the switch and serve as a connection between a radio receiving set 6 and loud speaker 7, the other connection of the circuit being a cable 8 eX- tending directly from the receiving set to the loud speaker.

The switch and its coverings are best illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the same consisting of a base or lower sheet 9 conveniently of leather or like relatively soft material which will not mar furniture upon which it 1s placed, and an upper flexible sheet 10 also conveniently of leather of about the same shape and size as the lower sheet to which it may be secured as by stitching 11.

Upon the lower sheet 9 is a rigid sheet or plate 12 of cardboard, bre or other suitable insulating material, and carried by this sheet are two strips of conducting material, the first 13 being secured as by having both ends extending through slots 14 and bent over on the .underside of the plate to cause the strip to 11e flat upon the surface thereof, while the second strip 15 has one end secured, as at 16, to the plate and is bent to. normally space itself just above strip 13. 5

' Theconductors t and 5 are connected to the strips 13 and 15 respectively by soldering or in any other suitable manner. When a weight, such as that of the telephone, is imposed upon the top of the pad, the strips 13 and 15 are pressed together, closing the switch and completing the circuit in which the switch is, while when the weight is removed, the

resiliency of strip 15 causes it tospring upwardly as shown in Figure 3, breaking the clrcuit.

If switch is interposed in the power circuit of the loud speaker, it will be obvious that Whenever a person picks up the telephone, the power circuit will be interrupted and the sounds issuing from the radio stopped until the telephone is-vreplaced on the-pad, when the circuit will be again completed and the sound again emitted from the loud speaker. Of course, the switch can be shunted around the loud speaker, or interposed in any other circuit of the radio, as in the A battery circuit, and similar results would be obtained. However, by shunting the switch around the loud speaker, the radio will not be rendered Till completely silent but the volume of sound will be greatly reduced. This may be more desirable in some instances than entirel stopping the sound would.

A switching means of this kind may be used to control any type of electrical apparatus such as electrical phonographs, electric fans, motors and the like, or to control a relay mechanism which in turn may control any type of apparatus, whether electrical or not.

Also, obviously, many other variations will readily occur to those skilled in this art, and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the precise details shown and described, but claim as my invention all variations, modifications and embodiments thereof coming Within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. -The method of controlling an electrically I operated sound producing device which comprises connecting a switch in a circuit of said device, placing the switch in a position to support a .telephone set, placing a telephone set upon. the switch, lifting the telephone set when it is desired to use the same, and thereby operating the switch to quiet the sound producing device.

2. In combination, a sound producing device, a flat Weight operated switch enclosed in a flexible insulating cover and connected in a circuit controlling the sound producing device, and a telephone set adapted to be selectively placed upon or removed from the switch and byits weight to operate the same and control the sound producing device.

WARREN H. CHASE. 

